Army Raids Terror Network in Dinniyeh, Arrests Wanted Fugitive

The Lebanese Army Intelligence raided at dawn on Thursday an apartment in the northern area of Dinniyeh, which is inhabited by a “group of terrorists,” killing three gunmen and apprehending a fugitive.

The army said in a communique that one soldier sustained minor injuries during the raid.

The identities of the killed terrorists were not identified.

According to the statement, an army unit had been monitoring the location of terrorist 51-year-old Ahmed Salim Miqati, who is also known as Abou al-Huda and Abi Bakr.

Miqati recently pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and established cells linked to the group in the region.

He was planning to carry out a huge terrorist act along with his son Omar, who is fighting alongside ISIL in the northeastern border town of Arsal, the army added.

The army seized in the apartment light and medium weapons, in addition to rockets, grenades, explosive belts and military equipment.

Investigations kicked off with him, the army said.

Media reports had earlier said that two members of the raided network fled away, while the state-run National News Agency said that a Syrian refugee was killed during the raid.

OTV identified one of the killed men as Mohammed al-Etri.

Miqati is also the relative of Bilal Omar Miqati who is accused of beheading Lebanese soldiers on the outskirts of Arsal.

Abou al-Huda has been recruiting men to join ISIL ranks and has an arrest warrant against him, the army said in its statement.

Agence France Presse reported that a soldier who recently announced via YouTube his defection from the army was captured during the raid.

He was the fifth Lebanese soldier to have announced his defection from the army since August.

All have announced their desertion in videos released by jihadists groups in which they claim they have joined militant ranks.

The army has been cracking down on Syrian refugees across the country after the military engaged in battles with militants from al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State group in Arsal in August.

There are fears that the Syrian refugee encampments in Lebanon could turn into areas that harbor militants, or a springboard to head to Syrian or Lebanese territories for violent acts.

The jihadists held several soldiers and policemen captive after withdrawing from the town. Three of them were executed in August and September.

H.K.

M.T.